Shadowed: Brides of the Kindred book 8

Table of Contents

Shadowed

About the Author

Brides of the Kindred Glossary

Ruby Shadows Blurb

Purity chapter 1

Brides of the Kindred

Book 8: Shadowed

Evangeline Anderson

KINDLE EDITION

* * * * *

PUBLISHED BY:

Evangeline Anderson on Amazon Kindle

Brides of the Kindred

Book 8: Shadowed

Copyright © 2013 by Evangeline Anderson

Kindle Edition License Notes

This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each person you share it with. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then you should return to Amazon.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the author’s work.

Author’s Note #1—
First of all, please no piracy. It’s not a victimless crime—I have a family to support so please, buy your own copy and encourage friends to do the same so I can keep writing these books for everyone’s pleasure.

Author’s note #2—
Most of you know I’m writing another series as well as the Kindred now—a set of paranormal books called Born to Darkness. If you haven’t checked them out yet, they are on Amazon, Smashwords, and All Romance. The first book is
Crimson Debt
and the second one is
Scarlet Heat.
I have a blurb for the third book,
Ruby Shadows
at the end of this book. There is also an excerpt from a new sci-fi erotic romance I’ve been working on called Purity. I’m almost done with it so I hope to have it out soon. Drop me a line and let me know if the first chapter intrigues you. I love to hear from readers and I usually look in on my Facebook page at least once a day.

Author’s Note #3—
This is the eighth book in the Brides of the Kindred series. (I know, can you believe it? And I have some awesome ideas for book 9, Chained, as well.) Anyway, I recommend that you read Claimed, Hunted, Sought, Found, Revealed, Pursued, and Exiled before beginning Shadowed or you are going to be totally lost.

Hugs and Happy Reading to you all!

Evangeline Anderson

Dedicated to Kim:

Thanks for being a loyal and true friend and for kicking my butt to make me finish this book. I feel so blessed and lucky to have you in my life as a constant reader and support. Hugs, besty!

Table of Contents

Shadowed

About the Author

Brides of the Kindred Glossary

Ruby Shadows Blurb

Purity chapter 1

Chapter One

“You can’t do this to me.”

The harsh, grating voice took Saber by surprise as he stepped in the sliding metal door of his suite. He spun around to see who was speaking and, more importantly, who was in his home without his permission. The suite he and Lissa shared in the Kindred Mother Ship had been locked when he came in—he would swear to that. So how…? And then he saw him.

A hooded figure crouched in the far corner of the living area, his face hidden in shadows.

Saber knew it was a male—there was no question about that. The figure was half a head taller than he was, which was saying something since no Kindred warrior was under six foot six.

“You can’t…fucking…
do
this to me,”
the voice snarled again.

“Who are you?” Saber demanded, taking a step toward the huge, crouching figure. “And what are you doing in my home?” He was glad that Lissa was out with Kat, planning the redheaded Earth girl’s joining ceremony. If he’d had any reason to think she was here with this strange figure and in any kind of danger…

“Saber? Is that you?” Lissa’s light, feminine voice drifted from the back of the suite, and Saber felt the short hairs on the back of his neck rise. What was she doing back? And what had been done to her in his absence?

“Lissa,”
he sent through their link as he circled carefully closer to the hooded invader.
“Stay where you are. Don’t come up here!”

“Who are you?” he barked aloud at the strange male, since the invader still hadn’t answered. “Goddess damn it, if you’ve touched my female—”

“Don’t worry, old friend. Lissa is perfectly safe.”

The invader raised his head, and at last, Saber was able to catch a glimpse into the shadowy confines of his hood. Pure silver eyes, like melted starlight, flashed at him and Saber felt the knot of protective tension and rage that had been building inside him suddenly melt.

“Reddix?” His voice was thick with relief. “Is that you?”

“Who else would it be?” Reddix growled. “Are you expecting another old friend you screwed over to show up this evening?”

“But what are you doing here? I wasn’t expecting you for at least another week.”

“I came early. Couldn’t wait to see you and try to talk you out of this madness.”

“Watch what you say, Brother.” Saber heard the growl enter his own voice and did nothing to try and stop it. “Loving Lissa and choosing to spend my life with her is the sanest move I’ve ever made, and I won’t hear anyone say otherwise—not even you.”

Reddix made a noise at the back of his throat as he rose from his crouching position and came into the light.

“Then you won’t want to hear what your mother has to say about it.” He unrolled a small vid screen and thrust it at Saber. “Here. She made me swear by the Goddess to be sure you watched her message.”

Saber pushed the screen away before the recording could start playing and sank down onto the couch.

“I don’t care what you or she or anyone else has to say, my mind is made up.”

Reddix sat down beside him, on the opposite side of the large leather couch.

“So you’re really going to do this? You’re going to give up everything, your home, your future, your position as the Clan Overlord—all for a female?” His gravelly voice was incredulous.

“I’m afraid so.” Saber sighed and ran a hand through his hair. “I know it’s hard for you to comprehend, Reddix, but for the right female, it’s worth it, and Lissa is the right one for me. Try to understand—I’ve loved her from the moment I saw her.”

“By the laws of our people, she’s your sister,” Reddix pointed out.

“I know.” Saber shook his head. “I know how wrong this seems to you—to everyone back home. But there is no blood tie between us, and for some reason, the kinship compounds didn’t take for either Lissa or me. So we’re not repelled by each other as any other male and female of our clan would be if they tried to be together.”

“I’m not judging you,” Reddix said heavily. “I’m in no position to judge. I’m just saying.”

“I know. And
I’m
just saying that the moment I saw Lissa’s face, so many years ago, I knew she was the one for me—the only one.” He put a hand on his friend’s broad shoulder. “You’ll understand when you find the one female for you.”

Reddix shook off his hand. “Right, just find a female—that’s the answer to everything. Except it won’t do me a damn bit of good unless she can somehow cure my disease.”

“Ah, yes…that.” Saber coughed, feeling stupid. How could he have been so insensitive as to talk about love and bonding with a female to one with his friend’s condition?

“Yeah,
that.”
Reddix’s deep, rasping voice was heavy with sarcasm. “That little thing that makes having a female impossible. That minor detail which has kept me hiding in the shadows half my life.”

“You don’t have to hide with me—you can take off the hood,” Saber said quietly, indicating his friend’s shadowed face. “I’ve seen you before, you know.”

“I’m keeping it on.” Reddix’s eyes flashed silver from the depths of the hood. “You want to know the truth, I almost never take it off now, not even at home.”

Saber frowned. “But surely at home, where everyone is used to seeing you…”

“It’s getting worse.” Reddix got up abruptly and began pacing, his big body moving smoothly with animalistic grace.

“You mean your RTS?” Saber shook his head. “I didn’t know it could get worse.”

“Well, apparently, it can,” Reddix snapped. “A
hell
of a lot worse.”

RTS was short for Reverse Touch Syndrome, a rare disease that affected only Touch Kindred males and only one in a thousand at that. The sufferers were almost all from the Star Clan, which Reddix’s father had been. But there had never been any RTS in his family before Reddix had been diagnosed with it not long after they had come to manhood together.

Since they had grown up in the same town, Saber could remember his friend before he had been afflicted with the dreaded disease. Reddix had been so happy when he was younger—outgoing and funny with a dry sense of humor. He had been teased some for his beautiful features—Star Clan members were notoriously lovely, and Reddix was no exception. Still, he took the teasing good-naturedly and fit in well with the group of young males they ran with, even though he looked different from the rest of them.

And then just at the age when they were becoming adults, Reddix had been dealt a crushing blow—his Touch sense had failed to develop. Or rather, it began to develop wrongly.

He’d kept it a secret for a long time—longer than Saber would have thought possible. Back when he and his friends were just starting to experiment, using their new Touch senses to play tricks like pulling a favorite female’s hair or blowing in her ear with newly developed
whisper-lips
, Reddix had begun to withdraw. He started wearing baggier clothes and jackets with high collars or hoods—anything to hide his muscular body and handsome face. Anything to avoid the curious stares of other people.

Finally, his parents had caught on and taken their only son for testing. Though the doctors had told them what they had feared all along, the shock was still so great it nearly tore their family apart. Reddix’s parents had distanced themselves from him, had allowed him to hide himself away out of shame. His friends had fallen away too. Only Saber and Reddix’s little sister, Minda, had stuck by him.

Watching his friend pace, Saber felt a great surge of pity for his friend. RTS was a diagnosis every male of the Touch Kindred feared above all else, because it was crippling on so many levels. It meant that Reddix would never be considered a man—not really. Because of his inability to Touch a female with his mind, he would never be able to bond with a female or truly satisfy her by giving her the Deep Touch, which was what the Touch Kindred considered necessary for a fulfilling sexual relationship. In addition, the poor bastard had to feel the emotions of every other person who looked at him or touched him as a physical sensation upon his skin. It was no wonder he preferred to keep his hood on.

Still, back home he had only worn the hood to special occasions—gatherings of the Clans where he knew a lot of strangers who hadn’t seen him before would be assembled. If it had become necessary for him to wear it around everyone, even old friends like Saber, he must really be in a bad way…

“Stop it!” Reddix barked, rounding on him suddenly. “Stop it, Goddess damn you!”

Saber jumped, startled. “Stop what?”

“Stop pitying me! And don’t try to deny it.” Reddix stabbed a finger at him accusingly. “I can
feel
your pity like acid burning down my spine. And let me tell you,
Brother,
it isn’t pity you ought to be feeling—it’s guilt.”

“Guilt?” Saber raised an eyebrow at him. “Guilt for what exactly?”

“For screwing me over this way—for abdicating your responsibility. For forcing me to take your place as a public figurehead when you know perfectly well it’s my personal idea of the Seventh Hell.”

Saber
did
feel a stab of guilt at his old friend’s words, and Reddix nodded at him with bitter satisfaction.

“
Now
you understand,” he said, sinking down on the couch beside Saber again.

“Reddix, please—I never meant—”

His friend held up a palm to stop him.

“You don’t have to say it. I feel your remorse too—a stinging pain deep in my side like someone slipped a knife between my ribs, right here.” He pressed one large hand to his side.

“Goddess,” Saber murmured through numb lips. “You can feel it that distinctly?”

Reddix grunted moodily. “It’s not pleasant but it’s a hell of a lot better than what I’ll have to face if I become Clan Overlord. Greeting the people, going out to meet the crowds, feeling all of their emotions all over me…” He leaned forward, and Saber saw the glint of desperation in his pure silver eyes. “Saber, I
can’t
do this. You have to come back.”